Mirepoix?

Everybody here at the record shop is very excited about our first in-store appearance in the new space and we’re working hard to get things together.  Like everything new here at Hymie’s there seems to be twenty little problems for each solution, but we’re plugging leaks and crossing T’s… or something.

You saw it here in his very own pen, Ben Weaver plans to play his entire new album Mirepoix and Smoke next Tuesday at 6 PM.  We’re planning to stay open late to accommodate new visitors and all the excitement.

Tuesday is, of course, the vinyl release date for Ben’s new album, and we’ll have copies in the shop – We’d like to express our appreciation to Bloodshot Records for their support and for releasing the album on vinyl.  Its great to see so many small labels giving artists the chance to see their work on the only genuine and enduring medium.

Here’s the first two tracks from Mirepoix and Smoke (taken from the… uh, CD).  First is “Grassy Doe” followed by “City Girl” which you can hear in Ben’s video.  Enjoy:

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We’re all about making music accessible on this site, and we want you to know that nobody here knew what mirepoix was either and we’ve looking it up for you.

Mirepoix the fancy name for the tasty combination of onions, celery and carrots. Its all probably a product of Ben’s recent culinary experience here on East Lake Street – I suppose we’ll have bowls of onions, celery and carrots for him next week. Or maybe beer.

A lot of reviews have compared Mirepoix and Smoke to Blood on the Tracks but I think a more thoughtful listener might see similarities to Alejandro Escoveda’s 1992 album Gravity at least in terms of the songs Ben’s written. Ben’s album sounds deceptively simpler, however, like Leonard Cohen’s records. I did not take “Record Reviewing 101″ in college, so the only other thing I can really add is that Ben’s banjo playing on Mirepoix and Smoke is especially good and I look forward to hearing him perform in the shop next week.

Next Tuesday, as I said before, is the release date for the limited edition vinyl of Mirepoix and Smoke. We’re pretty excited that Bloodshot chose to release an LP because its unfortunate that so many recordings these days are digital-only. There’s a lot of groups in the Twin Cities putting out vinyl right now, including First Communion Afterparty whose LP and EP we have in the shop right now. Martin Devaney tells us he’s got a new LP planned for the fall and we’re excited to have that in the shop, too. We’d love to see some of our other Hymie’s pals put out some wax, like Jezebel Jones and Buffalo Moon!

Here’s one more track from the album, “When I’m Gone”:

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See you Tuesday!